She co-founded Remodelista, one of America's most popular design websites, but when it came to designing her own Brooklyn townhouse, Francesca Connolly deferred to the experts

Living Room

Living Room

When it came time for Francesca Connolly to design the interior of the Brooklyn brownstone she shares with her husband and three children, she didn't think twice about hiring out the job. Which wouldn't be all that unusual if she weren't one of the most sophisticated design voices of the decade. As a founder of Remodelista, the mother of all home-renovation websites, known for its exquisite curation of everything from door hinges and drawer pulls to sectional sofas and side tables, Connolly is endowed with serious design cred.

So why would she tap architect Steven Harris and interior designer Lucien Rees Roberts for the project? Harris puts it best: "We work with a variety of people, many of whom are quite naïve, others who are extraordinarily sophisticated, like Francesca—and, in her case, the collaboration was very fruitful," he says. "She has a gift for bringing out the very best in the people who work with her."

In the living room of Francesca Connolly's Brooklyn brownstone, which was designed by Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts, a vintage chandelier, one of a pair, hangs above a custom-made sofa, the cocktail table is by Ochre, and the daybed is by Chris Lehrecke; a Roman Thomas side table stands beside a 1930s chair, and the mantel is original.